Food Lovers Fat Loss System Gluten Sensitivity Or Why You Probably Shouldnt Eat Library Paste.
When I was in the first grade, there was a kid in our class that loved to eat what we used to call library paste. No matter how many times the teacher would reproach him, he could often be seen sticking the stuff in his mouth instead of onto his art project.
If you grew up in the fifties and sixties, you will remember those large plastic jars of thick, white paste that were found in every elementary school classroom. Once, in a classic case of monkey-see, monkey-do, I surreptitiously tried a bit of the sticky stuff and, although it tasted pretty bland and gummy, it wasn't as bad tasting as I thought it would be.
I'm sure that more sophisticated products have long since replaced that type of paste, but if I had been able to check the ingredients at the time, I probably would have found that it was made mostly of wheat flour and water. Obviously, our little paste lover did not have a discriminating palate or a sensitivity to gluten.
Gluten is a form of protein.
Even though you probably have heard the word bandied about in the media, you may not know that gluten is the protein found in many grains, including wheat, barley, rye and oats, although there seems to be some controversy about the gluten in oats. When you see this list, you will agree that, at least in the Western diet, these are some of the most common grains found in our food supply.
It's the section right next to the ethnic foods.
If you have been in a grocery store lately, you probably have noticed a new section of specialty items labeled with the words "Gluten-Free." There you will find crackers, breads, cookies, chips and other products that have one thing in common; they are made without using any wheat flour or other ingredients that contain gluten.
Celiac Disease is the official term.
Since you are reading this article, you probably either have or know who has gluten sensitivity or full-blown Celiac Disease also known as celiac sprue. This is an autoimmune condition where you have an inflammatory response to eating anything containing gluten. The mechanism of this disease is that the gluten causes damage to the lining of your small intestine, making it difficult to absorb nutrients. In spite of eating an adequate diet, you are literally starving to death, since your body cannot take advantage of the nutrients in the foods you are eating.
Symptoms of gluten sensitivity are varied.
The symptoms of celiac disease vary but they can include abdominal pain or cramping, diarrhea, weight loss, bone pain, anemia, weakness, bloating or bulky, floating stools. In other words, eating gluten if you have gluten sensitivity can make you pretty miserable. In addition, if you have untreated celiac disease, you are at a greater risk of developing gastrointestinal cancer or lymphoma. The good news is that once the disease is treated and the intestines heal, your risk of acquiring these kinds of cancers goes back to normal.
Related conditions can plague you if you are gluten sensitive.
Those who have sensitivity to gluten or Celiac Disease may also develop lactose intolerance and be unable to digest milk. Once the gluten sensitivity is addressed, you may find that this intolerance will diminish or disappear altogether. Other conditions that may develop along with celiac disease are dermatitis (itchy, burning skin rash), liver problems, joint pain, headaches, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, mouth ulcers, dry eyes, reproductive woes and thyroid troubles.
Gluten sensitivity may show up at any age.
Celiac Disease can occur at any time in your life and may run in families. There is also some evidence that it can be triggered by stress, both physical and emotional. When it goes untreated, children with this disorder tend to be small for their age and undernourished.
Diagnosis can be made by your physician.
If you think you have Celiac Disease, you should see your doctor who can perform a blood test to check for high levels of certain antibodies that would indicate that your immune system is having an abnormal response to the presence of gluten in your system. Be sure that you do NOT avoid gluten foods before the test or the results may not reflect the true state of your sensitivity.
It's not as simple as it sounds.
Even though there is no real cure for Celiac Disease, this severe gluten sensitivity can be treated by simply eliminating gluten from your diet. If you avoid eating foods that contain gluten, your intestinal lining will heal up, and you will live happily ever after! Unfortunately, at least in the Western world, avoiding gluten is easier said than done.
Please pass the gluten!
Think of the things you already ate today. If you had toast, a bagel or cereal for breakfast, you probably ate gluten. If you had a sandwich, fast food, or a salad with croutons for lunch, there was most likely gluten in the meal. If you had gravy on your mashed potatoes for supper, a TV dinner, or ate at an Italian restaurant, chances are, you ate some gluten. In fact, if you ate any bread, grains or processed foods, there is a great possibility that they had gluten in them. Even ice cream and yogurt, not the most obvious sources, can have a wheat-based thickener in them.
That's the bad news. The good news is that there are still a lot of foods you can eat that do not contain gluten.
Here is a list of some grains that are gluten-free.
Amaranth, Buckwheat, Corn, Millet, Quinoa, Rice (including Wild Rice) and Tef.
Here is a list of flours that you can use in various ways instead of wheat flour:
Arrowroot flour, Buckwheat flour, Corn flour, Potato flour, Rice flour, Sorghum flour, Soy flour, Tapioca flour, and various flours made from legumes. Keep in mind that because these flours do not have gluten and it is generally the gluten that gives that familiar structure to baked products, you will need to experiment to see which flours or combinations of flours work best for your particular application.
There is one caveat about gluten-free products.
Keep in mind that any of these grains and flours can be contaminated with gluten, if they are processed in the same facility or with the same equipment as wheat or other grains containing gluten. You will need to check labels for an advisory statement about possible gluten contamination. As an added precaution, you can contact the food company to make sure that their products are truly gluten-free.
We should all pay attention.
I have often wondered if the recent rise in incidence of gluten sensitivity in the Western world-four times more common today than it was 50 years ago-may be due to our increased use of refined wheat in the form of white flour and white flour products. White flour has a higher gluten content than its whole-wheat counterpart. That's what gives white bread and other baked goods their light structure (Whole grains have gluten too, of course, but just not as much.) The reason I mention this here is because, even if we are not gluten sensitive, we could probably all benefit from (1) limiting or avoiding baked goods made from white flour, (2) including more gluten-free grains such as amaranth, quinoa and rice in our diets, and (3) eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, not to mention lean meats and dairy products, which are naturally gluten-free.
Most people think of the obvious grains, like wheat and rye, that must be avoided if you are gluten sensitive. However, there are many products that may contain gluten by another name. Many packaged soups, salad dressings, lunch meats, some cheeses and cheese spreads, ketchup, candies, soy sauce, frozen dinners and even non-dairy creamers may be hidden sources of gluten.
Read the label
In addition to anything that says "wheat" or "gluten," look for these words on the ingredient list of food labels, as they may indicate the presence of gluten:
Food dyes (Red or Yellow)
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
Malt, Malt Syrup, or Malt Flavoring
Modified Starch or Modified Food Starch
Monoglycerides and Diglycerides
Natural Flavors or Artificial Flavors
Textured Vegetable Protein
Vegetable Gum
Vegetable Protein
White vinegar
You might be missing the fat-soluble vitamins and iron.
As mentioned before, when you have Celiac Disease, your small intestine becomes inflamed, and you will have difficulty absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat, particularly fats. This means that over time you will become deficient in Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K, the fat-soluble members of the vitamin family. Since these vitamins are vital to your good health, a deficiency can lead to the symptoms listed above, and ultimately, to serious health problems. You may also have low levels of iron, which could leave you feeling tired and weak.
There are some things you can do.
If you are concerned about gluten in your diet, here are some tips to help you:
*See your doctor for a blood test and diagnosis to see if you actually have Celiac Disease.
*Educate yourself about gluten and start reading labels, learning the hidden sources of gluten.
*Check out the "Gluten-Free" section at your grocery store and become familiar with companies whose products are reliably gluten-free.
*Find some online sources for gluten-free products that you can try. There is even a site called "Wellbaskets" that features gluten-free gifts.
*Visit the websites of your favorite restaurants to find out the ingredients in the foods they serve, or ask to speak to someone at the restaurant who will know for sure how the foods are prepared.
*Look for some gluten-free recipe ideas that will teach you how to make some of the foods you like that would normally have gluten, such as bread and other baked products.
*Try some of the grains listed above that do not have gluten, both in whole and flour form.
*Take a vitamin/mineral supplement, at least until your nutritional status improves, to help offset the deficiency caused by the disease.
*Include an abundance of fresh, unprocessed foods in your diet such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, lean meats, plain yogurt, and healthy fats.
*If you need help choosing foods, talk to a dietitian and join a support group in person or online at websites such as Celiac.com.
There are worse things.
I began this article with a story about a kid who had a strange predilection for library paste. Although paste is certainly a bizarre snack choice, when you consider the ingredients of foods that are on the grocery shelves these days, a little wheat and water doesn't seem so bad-unless, of course, you're gluten sensitive.
Food Lovers Fat Loss System Scam.
